Itinerary

1. Day 1: Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut

   • Get the chance to familiarise yourself with your Tanzanian guides, chefs and porters before departing the hotel in Arusha. 

   • Begin your journey to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro after completing the gate registration. A great length of the hike is spent venturing on a narrow trail that is enclosed by the evergreen rain forest. 

   • Reach Kisambioni which is a milestone as it signifies that we are at the halfway point of the trek. 

   • Sit down and enjoy a picnic lunch. 

   • Continue walking through the rain forests of Kilimanjaro after lunch. Our final destination is the Mandara Hut. 

   • Decide upon arrival whether you want to relax for the rest of the day or take a leisurely stroll to the Maundi Crater. If you face the northwest, you will see the striking Mawenzi Peak which resembles a crown in the sky with its prickly edges. Turn to the east and you will see the picturesque landscapes of Taveta. Visit on a day with clear skies that will ensure your maximum viewing pleasure. 

   Spend the night in the A-frame Mandara Huts which can accommodate up to seventy people with feature beds and mattresses. There are several sleeping huts and a dining area.

2. Day 2: Mandara Hut to Horombo Hut

   • Start heading towards Horombo Hut after breakfast. The environment will shift drastically as the 5 Days Marangu Route requires us to travel through Mount Kilimanjaro’s moorland, a rock-strewn desert plain with succulent plants. 

   • Enjoy a picnic lunch at Kambi ya Taabu during the hike. If the skies are clear, you will have a chance to witness the scenic views of the Mawenzi and Kibo peaks. 

   • Arrive at the Horombo Huts at approximately 3:00 pm, and the afternoon can be spent relaxing. The Horombo Huts are exceptionally busy, but they’re considered to be the finest huts on Mount Kilimanjaro. The little A-frame huts can house a maximum of eight people and provide suitable lodging for hikers ascending, descending and acclimating. They can accommodate a maximum of 120 hikers with additional room for porters, chefs and guides.

3. Day 3: Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut

   • Eat breakfast, and hike through the moorland and the alpine desert region of Mount Kilimanjaro with your Tanzanian guide.

   • Encounter a small mountain stream called the Maua River after hiking for about an hour. 

   • Notice that the terrain gets smoother, and the vegetation starts to diminish once you pass Maua. 

   • Have an appetizing lunch at the Middle Red Hill. 

   • Continue our trek shortly after lunch and spend the next few hours travelling to Kibo on a steady incline through Mount Kilimanjaro’s Saddle. The silver lining to travelling through a baron dessert is the breathtakingly stunning vista of the Kibo and Mawenzi Peaks. 

   • Reach the Kibo hut in the afternoon. It is recommended that you rest and prepare for your midnight climb.

4. Day 4: Kibo Hut to Summit to Horombo Hut

   • Get ready for the final leg of your journey, which is the ascent to Uhuru Peak, which has been award the title The Roof of Africa. 

   • Leave shortly after midnight and begin with the strenuous five-hour hike to Gillman’s Point on the crater rim. This is considered to be the least challenging of the three crater ascent paths, but it is still an arduous hike. William’s Point is the first major rest stop, and it usually takes two hours from the Kibo Hut to arrive at the five thousand meter mark. 

   • Finish thirty minutes of hiking, and reach the rocky bends and twists that continue for over six hundred meters or until you reach Gillman’s Point. The incline from Gilman’s Point to Uhuru Peak increases gradually; consequently, it is not a difficult hike. You will feel tired, and this part will take longer due to the high altitude. The crater rim hike will last about two hours. 

   • Reach the summit, and we have allocated time for you to take some photographs and celebrate your triumph. 

   • Start descending to Horombo Hut – our final stop on the route. The route down the summit has magnificent views that you could not see when you were climbing the mountain. 

   • Have a chance to stop at the Kibo Hut to recollect yourself and enjoy some energy snacks. 

   • Reach the Horombo Huts in the afternoon, and you can spend the time enjoying your last moments on the mountain.

5. Day 5: Horombo Hut to Marangu Gate

   • Finish the trek by descending to the Marangu Gate after breakfast. The final hike is simply magical. 

   • Hike amid the gods in Mount Kilimanjaro’s tranquil cloud forest. We advise that you watch your step as the trail can be fairly slippery.

   • Get into the vehicles waiting at Marangu Gate and drive back to Arusha. You will have an opportunity to buy sodas and souvenirs to prove that the Marangu Route was conquered. You can exceed your Tanzania stay so as to witness the big five at Tanzania's national parks through a wildlife safari.